Day One- Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and a Boat!

Day One- Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and a Boat!

The day started at 4:30 with the alarm ringing and the scramble to get up and out. I dressed, woke Logan and he was even groggy. Sylvie wanted to sleep in a nightgown so I was trying to dress her through screaming and fighting, and then- wham, she actually processed that today. was. the. day. The day her dreams would come. true. And she was much more helpful after that!

Around 5 am we were heading to the long-term parking lot at the airport. Picking a spot not too snow-entrenched, we unloaded and quickly realized that -1 degree feels really really cold when you’re barely awake! We RAN to the train. Did I mention we were dressed for Florida in fleece and no gloves? A half mile away, we got inside with teeth frozen, hands quivering from cold exposure, and ready for round 2. The train.

And then there were the highlights from the airplane. Security double-checks, a lovely glass of o.j. graced my lap and Sylvie refused to enter the airplane restroom. She has a newly well-timed, well-developed fear. Of restrooms. Did I mention we’ll be gone from home for a week? And the best part was when I heard the pilot mention “It is now 38 degrees in Orlando.” Wait, what?!? Logan said “Why is the weatherman so wrong?”

On to another monorail to get to the shuttles. On to a motorcoach to get to the hotel. By then everyone was done sitting in moving vehicles but we needed to charge on. There was a serious mission to be accomplished. Operation Princess Lunch needed to be attended and time was tight.

After a stop at the hotel, a run up to the room to drop off anything we didn’t want and pick up the tickets, we hopped back onto a boat and headed to the theme park. Oh. My. Goodness. I don’t think -1 Chicago degree had anything on 38 Florida degrees in a boat wearing fleece with massive winds on a boat in the middle of a lake.

We’re here! DisneyWorld! The Land of Happiness! Except your disney card is being denied, someone or something screwed up, so you are destined to the land of “Guest Relations.” Still trying to get to the Princess Mecca in time for our reservation, Josemanuel, Reena, and I (who had working tickets) RAN. It felt like the Amazing Race, out of breath, dodging balloons and people, and pumped on adrenaline and no sleep, we made it to the castle! They giggled at our effort and promised we could have lunch, and did the birthday girl want a chocolate cake and a happy birthday song? Oh, yes she DOES.

Insert sappy tears here while we all watched Sylvie meet her idols, the Disney Princesses. We all agreed Snow White was most in character, her voice, her mannerisms, and her aura were pure Snow White. I think I was 4 again for an hour or so. Sylvie was her typical reserved, shy scared exterior, but you could tell she was jumping for joy inside. She had her own set of paparazzi as we all took a million pictures. She even took a quick break in the princess loo. After 2 times of thinking about it, but thank goodness.

Then it hit us. We’re in Disney and it’s still 38 degrees. So we stocked up on fleece blankets and mittens and extra layers. First stop, Swiss Family Robinson, Pirates of the Caribbean (Sylvie decided she likes pirates, but not those pirates, Logan cheered when we went down the drop-off). A typical disney day with a few rides and a the castle at the end of the day was absolutely stunning sheathed in lights and color.

We ate too much for dinner, and both kids fell asleep at the table, and we’re ready for Day 2!